Travel NETHERLANDS
The near-perfect conditions shifted only slightly when we
encountered cargo barges in the open waters of the principal
lakes, such as Slotermeer. At first the choppier surface was a tad
intimidating, but our captain held his own and puttered like
a boss between the red and green buoys that marked the correct
traffic lanes.
Relaxing once again in the placid canal, we hung out on
deck with filter coffee and stroopwafels, reading, napping or
birdwatching. Our good kaptein, an avid birder with a quick
eye, alerted us to frequent sightings of species like white-fronted
geese, red-knobbed coots and black-crowned herons. It was the
jackdaw murmuration in Lemmer that took my breath away,
though – a twittering, inky flock that shape-shifted between
the yacht masts as the sun dipped behind the horizon, an aerial
ballet forever imprinted in my memory.
A handful of bridges stretched across our watery path on
this route, a change from the many locks in France’s Languedoc
region. Some were vintage masterpieces from another age;
others were so low that our man at the helm had to duck to
make it through with his head still on his shoulders. The bigger,
more modern bridges commanded the most concentration from
the skipper, who had to idle until the officials were able to raise
the massive drawbridge and give the green light for safe passage.
Once or twice, bruggeld (bridge fees) had to be paid, some in
more unorthodox ways than others – one bridge keeper leaned
out of his control tower and dangled a blue clog off a fishing line,
wanting the requisite €2 plopped into it. We obviously didn’t see
that coming, and by the time we’d scrambled to find the coins,
we’d missed the moment and had to stop the boat so that one of
us could hotfoot it back to settle the bill.ABOVE A grand welcome to the town of Sneek: the Waterpoort
gatehouse was built in 1613, part of the medieval city’s defensive
walls. TOP RIGHT Experiencing the canals from a different
perspective in Bolsward. Cycling in Holland is a cinch, and motorists
are aware and considerate of anyone travelling on two wheels.
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